Skin Rash

[Red63026]

My girlfriend has had a rash mostly on her hands, legs and feet for the past several months. It seems like she is always itching with itching so bad it wakes her up in the middle of the night. She itches to the point that she scratchs open the rash and now has sores or scabs. She has been prescribed cream and even an antibotic (antibiotic) but it doesn't seem to help. The Dr said it is Eczema but I was looking for more information. The rash starts out as red bumps, irregular shaped, on her legs, back and neck sometimes.
Thank you for any information that you can give me.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
I cannot confirm anything without examination but it can be hives or urticaria. Hives (medically known as urticaria) are red, itchy, raised areas of skin that appear in varying shapes and sizes. They have a tendency to change size rapidly and to move around, disappearing in one place and reappearing in other places, often in a matter of hours.

Ask her to take some antihistaminic like Benadryl or Claritin and apply some calamine lotion on the rashes. If the symptoms persist then topical or oral steroids may be needed. Please consult a dermatologist in that case.

I hope it helps. Take care and please do keep me posted in case you have any additional doubts. Kind regards.